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The moose is the largest species in the deer family, and they can be massive! We were lucky enough when driving back from Algonquin Park to see a moose standing by the side of the road, and its only when you’re close to one that you can actually appreciate how big these animals can actually get!

In North America, the moose range includes almost all of Canada, most of Alaska, much of New England and upstate New York, the upper Rocky Mountains, Northeastern Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale in Lake Superior.

All moose are herbivores and are capable of consuming many types of plant or fruit. The average adult moose needs to consume 9,770 calories per day to maintain its body weight. Much of a moose’s energy is derived from terrestrial vegitation, mainly consisting of forbs and other non-grasses, and fresh shoots from trees such as willow and birch. These plants are rather low in sodium, and moose generally need to consume a good quantity of aquatic plants. While much lower in energy, these plants provide the moose with its sodium requirements, and as much as half of their diet usually consists of aquatic plantlife. In winter, moose are often drawn to roadways, to lick salt that is used as a snow and ice melter. A typical moose, weighing 360 kilograms, can eat up to 32kg of food per day.

On average, an adult moose stands 1.8–2.1 m (6–7 ft) high at the shoulder. Males weigh 380–720 kg (850–1580 pounds) and females weigh 270–360 kg (600–800 pounds). Moose are mostly diurnal. They are generally solitary with the strongest bonds between mother and calf. Two individuals can sometimes be found feeding along the same stream.

Mating occurs in September and October. The males are polygamous and will seek several females to breed with. During this times both sexes will call to each other. Males produce heavy grunting sounds that can be heard from up to 500 meters away, while females produce wail-like sounds. Males will fight for access to females. They either assess which is larger, with the smaller bull retreating, or they may engage in battles, usually only involving the antlers.

Female moose have an eight-month gestation period, usually bearing one calf, or twins if food is plentiful, in May or June. Newborn moose have fur with a reddish hue in contrast to the brown appearance of an adult. The young will stay with the mother until just before the next young are born.

Moose are not usually aggressive towards humans, but can be provoked or frightened to behave with aggression. In terms of raw numbers, they attack more people than bears and wolves combined, but usually with only minor consequences. When harassed or startled by people or in the presence of a dog, moose may charge. Also, as with bears or any wild animal, moose that have become habituated to being fed by people may act aggressively when denied food. During the fall mating season, bull moose may be aggressive toward humans due to the high hormone levels they experience during this time. Cows with young calves are very protective and will attack humans who come too close, especially if they come between mother and calf. Unlike other dangerous animals, moose are not territorial, and do not view humans as food, and will therefore usually not pursue humans if they simply run away. Like any wild animal, moose are unpredictable and should be given a respectful amount of space.

A moose’s body structure, with a large heavy body suspended on long spindly legs, makes these animals particularly dangerous when hit by passenger cars with low ground clearances. Generally, when colliding with a moose at high speed, the car’s bumper and front grille will break the moose’s legs, causing the body of the moose to fly up and over the car’s hood and deliver the bulk of the animal’s weight into the windshield, crushing the front roof support beams and anyone in the front seats.. That means that although initially the following sign is an interesting new occurance on a road trip to further north in Ontario, it’s not to be taken lightly – always keep your eyes out for Moose. When we saw the one we did, at first it looked like a large statue of a moose (as you will find pleanty of moose-type ornaments) however when it turned its head we saw it wasnt, so although their considerable size you can miss them easilly.

If you’re looking to see a moose for yourself and happen to be in Southern Ontario, both Toronto Zoo and Muskoka Wildlife Centre have a number of them, or if you want to try your luck, Algonquin Park would be a good place to camp to try to spot a wild one like we did!

Just remember with all wildlife, respect nature, and it’ll have respect for you!

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010 at 9:10 am and is filed under Canadian Wildlife. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.